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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28449051">The Night of the Red Masks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealJeanGenie/pseuds/TheRealJeanGenie'>TheRealJeanGenie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:54:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28449051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealJeanGenie/pseuds/TheRealJeanGenie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"The advantage, Qi'ra, is that I am used to betrayals and lies. With you, I will know what to expect."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Darth Maul/Qi'ra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Night of the Red Masks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            A translation of

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21820828">La notte delle maschere rosse</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealJeanGenie/pseuds/TheRealJeanGenie">TheRealJeanGenie</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dathomir gives her the creeps before she even sets foot on the ground. Qi'ra’s mind is filled with tales that Lady Proxima’s White Worms used on Corellia to terrorize children who were not quick enough in theft and shoplifting. </p>
<p>"We will leave you in the street on the Night of the Dead. And we will let the creatures living in the shadows to devore you alive."</p>
<p>The red of Dathomir’s surface awakens in her fear and disgust at the idea of roads stained with children’s blood. </p>
<p>Dryden would laugh at her. But Dryden is dead. She killed him. And he can no longer taunt her. </p>
<p>She lands at the arranged point remembering that the Crimson Dawn does not allow weaknesses. When their leader unveiled his face, she remained impassive in front of the hologram.</p>
<p>
  <em>He’s just a zabrak, she repeated. And those are just tattoos. It’s not a creature vomited from some hell. He’s a man. </em>
</p>
<p>She didn’t even tremble when he lit a scarlet lightsaber to intimidate her. In those tumultuous days no one believes in the Force and in its followers any more, although the voices and whispers insist that the evil Darth Vader, right hand and disciple of the Emperor, is a Sith and does nothing to hide it. But her new boss is not a Sith and weapons like that can be bought on the black market.</p>
<p>Qi'ra knows she’ll be examined. She gets off the ship while maintaining a dignified posture, helped by the heels of her boots that compensate for her not exceptional stature. For a moment she observes the small groups of people dressed in red and with beastly masks on their faces that move all around ignoring her. It must be a sort of local celebration. </p>
<p>A speeder with two seats glides in front of her driven by a red-skinned Twi'lek.</p>
<p>
  <em>Is there anything that doesn’t have this color here? </em>
</p>
<p>"The boss is waiting for you" he says to her without too much preamble and barely bothering to lookat her face. </p>
<p>Qi'ra thinks it's fine. She is there for business and not to socialize with  subordinates. She gets on the speeder without saying a word. </p>
<p>In any case, she carries weapons hidden in places the most cunning mind could not even imagine.</p>
<p>…<br/>…<br/>…</p>
<p>
  <em>Maul.</em>
</p>
<p>Not that he had introduced himself. They said, "Maul’s in a bad mood. He hates these celebrations. So don’t get on his nerves." </p>
<p>Qi'ra does not have a  problem with that. She does not intend to say a single word too much. </p>
<p>The zabrak’s stronghold is carved into the black stone of the mountains, and the room in which he receives her is as gloomy as the rest and illuminated only by the glare of low lights on the walls.</p>
<p>"Welcome" says the man with the appearance of a demon and a voice that recalls the hissing of a snake. </p>
<p>He's set a long table, also made of a dark and shiny stone, and Qi'ra sits on his right, without taking her eyes off her new boss, sitting with his hands crossed in front of his face. </p>
<p>She doesn’t know anything about him, but she’ll take her information. She doesn’t like to play at a disadvantage. He pours her a full-bodied red liquid from a bizarre bottle. The drink drips from the twisted neck drop by drop and the ticking creeps into her ears as if to hypnotize her.</p>
<p>"So... Dryden Vos was betrayed and killed..." whispers Maul as if he knew very well that she lied. </p>
<p>Qi'ra remains defensive but continues to show calmness. "What is it?" she asks, pointing to the glass. </p>
<p>"A drink once loved by the Night Sisters. It helped them connect with the Dark Side of the Force. Tonight... We celebrate their memory and mourn the anniversary of their massacre."</p>
<p>Qira has no idea what he’s talking about, but now she can be almost certain that that man has an effective connection to the ancient cult of the Force. Not that it interests her. She has always been a pragmatic type. Religious matters don’t even touch her. </p>
<p>"So, if I drink it, will I magically become a Sith?" she asks, ignoring the expression of fleeting anger that appears on Maul’s tattooed face. She throws down the blood-like liquid in one sip. It is full-bodied and pleasant.</p>
<p>"No. It’s just an aperitif," he says as he points his eyes at her. "You’re cheeky, Qi'ra. I have to try to understand if it’s something I like. How did you feel when you killed your lover to take his place?" </p>
<p>"Dryden was not my lover " she replies, confessing to the fact of the murder. </p>
<p>The zabrak’s eyes do not leave her a second. "Then you must be very special. Why did he choose you? Why did he care so much about you? How did you manage to deceive him?"</p>
<p>"You should ask him. If only he could answer..." </p>
<p>The grin that appears on the zabrak’s face is frightening. Qi'ra’s hand automatically slips to the stiletto she has hooked on her right side. </p>
<p>"The advantage, Qi'ra, is that I am used to betrayals and lies. With you, I will know what to expect." </p>
<p>A service droid enters the room and begins to fill the dishes with food.</p>
<p>Maul rises from the table and approaches an open window on the mountainside. From the outside come choirs, music and the dense and warm air of the night. Qi'ra finally manages to observe his figure. There is something wrong. She remembers immediately that, from the waist down, his body is completely mechanized. </p>
<p>Suddenly she no longer feels at a disadvantage. Maul is the result of tragedies and tales. Of betrayals, as he himself pointed out. She’ll extort his story somehow and use it to her advantage. And at the same time, she’ll keep her secrets to herself. The monster is but a broken creature waiting for the final blow.</p>
<p>Qi'ra fills another glass, then starts eating without waiting for him to come back to the table. </p>
<p>"I think we’ll get along, you and me. We both use gimmicks to look taller." She points the fork at his mechanical limbs. "Although I limit myself to heels." </p>
<p>He stares at her with the expression of who would like to kill her on the spot. Then he bursts into a roaring laugh returning to sit down.</p>
<p>"You won’t last long, here" he prophesies shaking his head crowned with sharp horns. </p>
<p>"We’ll see" Qi'ra answers feeling finally at ease.</p>
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